california jones adventures
by caljones
Summary: these are the adventures of the daughter of indianna jones
1. the phrohet's medallion

**California Jones and the Prophet's Medallion**

"Are we going to be seeing Sallah anytime soon?" California Jones asked her dad.

"Of course, Cal." Indy replied. "We can't come to Egypt and not see him. Any particular reason why?"

"Well, I found this medallion and wish to know what it's for."

Indiana Jones was a world famous archaeologist, Cal, of course, was his daughter. She too, dreamt of being an archaeologist, just like her father and grandfather, continuing the archaeological lineage. Her brother, Louisiana (or Lou) was, however, an exception. He's in college, studying to be a photographer for National Geographic. He was constantly saying he would end up being the photographer assigned to travel with her on digs and stuff. She didn't see what was so wrong with that, as according to her, he was continuing the lineage if that happened. Just in a different way.

Sallah was a close friend to both if them, as was his son (one of them), Horus. She and Indy have matching fedoras, which she loves and wears as much as possible. Her hair was usually in two braids, always when she wears her hat, which was sandy blonde and a little longer than shoulder length. She was the definition of rebel, because she hated dresses and was close to her dad (she never knew her mom). It was the early fifties, when poodle skirts and sock hops were popular. She had never been to a school dance, nor did she plan to. She had friends who liked her for whom she was, knowing she would never be caught dead in anything that even resembled a dress. Although, they did give her a bit of a hard time about it.

Indy could see his reflection in her glasses, allowing him to see how rugged he looked, as he hadn't shaved in a while and almost covered in dirt from a dig, where Cal found the medallion. She handed Indy the medallion and told him where at the dig she found it. There was total silence between them for sometime as Indy looked at the medallion.

"I'm afraid I can't help you, sweetie. Horus or Sallah may be able to, though. Hungry?"

"Yeah. Two apples please."

When the apples were paid for, Cal returned a smile to one of the merchants. Then she bit into her apple, which was a red, juicy one. Cal took out the medallion again and looked at it, as though drawn to its power, if it had any.

"Thing really has your interest, doesn't it?"

Cal nodded sheepishly.

"I don't think I have ever seen you do that before."

"You haven't. That's probably the only time that will happen. I wonder what Lou would say if he knew of this."

As they made their way to Sallah's house, Cal ran her fingers along the edge of the medallion and the markings on it. What did they mean? Whom did it belong to? A number of questions that she, herself could not answer, not without help. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock. They had arrived at Sallah's doorstep in what felt like no time.

"Yes? Indy, Cal, so good to see you!" Came Sallah's bass, booming voice. "Come in, come in."

As Sallah ushered them in, Horus stepped into the room (he's a couple of years older than Cal).

"What's all the ruckus about?" He asked smiling as Sallah released Cal from a rather bone crushing hug.

"Hello, Horus. How are you?"

"Better now. And you?"

"Pretty good. How 'bout a hug?"

"Sure."

They embraced for about ten seconds. Horus inhaled deeply, savoring her sent. He wanted to kiss her more than ever. Once apart, the rest of Sallah's kids came and tackled Cal. It was a loud time, lasting five minutes or so. By the time she was free, her body was rather sore from the weight and laughing.

"I'm okay." Cal said after Indy asked her if she was. She reached down for her hat. "By the way Sallah, have you ever seen anything like this before?"

"Hmm. Well, I haven't seen the markings before." He said after taking Medallion and examining it. He handed it back to Cal. He walked over to a lamp and turned the flame higher. Cal moved a bit closer to the lamp with the Medallion held close to her face. Horus looked over her shoulder as she turned it in her hands.

"Have you ever seen them before?" She asked Horus, handing it to him.

"No," He said after a minute. "Well, maybe a couple of times but . . . "

"Still not familiar."

"Staying long?"

"Most definitely. Probably a couple of nights or something."

"Good, good. Always happy to have you both."

Cal chuckled.

"Why don't you two have bags of clothes? You weren't robbed were you?"

"It wouldn't have worked if we were. As _I_ have Dad's whip, we'd be well protected. I know to use it. Anyway, the thought . . . must've slipped my mind. Yeah, I've got some in this bag but they're all rather dirty, particularly this one." She said, indicating the one she's wearing. "But other than that, it's good"

"Bag looks a little heavy." He replied, taking it. "Not as heavy as I thought. Come on. Let's get you situated. How long have you had this bag anyway?"

"About ten years or so. I think I now have a dent in my left shoulder because of it. Wait a minute." She took the whip from her bag. "Dad's gonna want this back."

Upon taking it back, Indy said, "May need to get one of these for you."

When she returned to the room she'd be in (Horus', he's one of few men that had her full trust), she asked if he knew a shop to get a good whip.

"I'm sure a vender will make you a good one. Nice and feminine."

"You must be joking."

"One that looks like a snake?"

Cal shuddered. She hates snakes and was nearly killed by a full-grown constrictor as a child.

"Don't worry. It'll be a good one. In the meantime, let's examine this Medallion closer, shall we? Though, you've probably looked at it enough times."

"Not enough to satisfy my curiosity. Don't even say 'curiosity killed the cat' 'cos I'm no feline."

"Yes you are. A panther or something."

For the next few hours or so, they looked at it many, many times, before fully retiring. The Medallion was all Cal could think about while she was all Horus could think about (as usual). The next morning, they (Cal and Horus) went into town. Cal's eyes were pealed for anything that might catch her eye. They found a merchant that made whips, finding a perfect whip for Cal was already made.

"Happy belated birthday, Cal" Horus said, handing it to her.

"Thank you Horus" she replied, blushing. She was a brilliant shade of color between pink and red. She gave him a small, embarrassed hug and slid the whip into her bag, still blushing. As they walked along, they talked a bit. About life in the Americas, what she was doing lately, if she had a boyfriend.

"Hell, no. I trust an Egyptian more than I do most Americans."

Before long, Cal gasped in surprise.

"Hang on. That symbol, it looks familiar." She pulled out the Medallion and looked at it, searching for that symbol, finding it quickly.

Then they spotted the following symbol, on down the line. The trail of symbols led out of the village to a place Horus had never seen before. The final symbol, in the middle, just above the crystal (green), was like a welcoming arrow, pointing to two different sized gaps. Cal took off her hat, leaned over and stuck her head in one of the holes.

"What do you see?"

"A large room with 2, 3, 4, 5 different staffs," she emerged, a little dusty. "And I think I saw a picture or carving or something on the wall."

"What about the staffs? What d̀you suppose they're for?"

"Probably to say something or show the location of some object. Remember when our dads dug for the Ark of the Covenant? Something like that."

"How far?"

"Got to be a thirty, forty-foot drop. So . . . we'll need ropes or something to get down."

"We, huh?"

"Oh, yeah. Can't do this alone."

"We'll need to get them from my Dad."

"Okay. Are we going to remember where in the . . . desert we are?"

"We should. With your memory and my extensive knowledge of Cairo."

So they left to fetch some things they'd need, water being a priority.

"Okay, rope; water; torch; matches; brand-new whip; brushes. I think that's it."

"Do we have enough water?"

"I hope so. Oh, crickey! I forgot to pack a note pad."

"What for?"

"I'll need to take down a few things in the cave." As Cal tucked that into her bag, Horus handed her a pencil. She slid that into her bag and thanked Horus. Sallah stopped them and tossed over two apples, as they were leaving.

They tossed the apple cores aside when they arrived at the cave. Horus attached one end of the rope around his waist and gathered most of it in front of him. Cal tossed her bag down and the rest of the rope. Then descended into the cave, leaving most of the water for Horus.

The smaller gap didn't give her a lot of light, so she lit a torch. On her note pad, she sketched the side wall of the cave. Then she took measurements of the staffs, using her body as a key. From tallest to shortest, there was about half a foot between each. She then studied the markings on the podium connected to the staffs. After examining the Medallion, she saw a drop on the other side.

"The water." She whispered.

Around three yards away were three stalactites. All three were dripping consistently. Upon the wall beside them was a drawing. From what Cal could deduce, the three drops meant one inch, the circle with two lines in it was a clock. It looked like a perfect pie slice.

"Three drops for five minutes." She watched her watch and counted the drops. Drip-drop-drip. Drip-drop-drip. It went on for five minutes. She kept her concentration with slight difficulty. Figuring, afterwards, 450 divided by twelve. Agh, she thought, I hate math. Okay, 37.5. Twelve inches to a foot, so that's three and one and one half inches.

"Hm. Closest is three feet." She walked over to it and tucked the Medallion into the notch. Light shone through, casting a green jet of light. It pointed to a figure on the wall, a man, a prophet from what Cal could see. It had belonged to him. Then the beam widened, showing a carving of the Earth. It allowed him to see all he needed.

There were rooms in the cave, separate ones with a picture on the top. One room had a picture of grains, and another had a bovine. Livestock and harvest. Cal thought, I wonder what that one is. She entered another room with nothing at the top. Inside was that of the top . . . nothing, or so she thought. Something caught her eye, a slab of stone in one corner and more in another. His living quarters. She turned back to the biggest room, and went to the others.

"If only I were this artistic." She walked back over to the rope and took a final look around. Her bag was packed up again, with everything but the torch. She tucked the Medallion into her back pocket and tugged on the rope.

"Finally ready?" Horus yelled down to her.

"Wise guy, I haven't been that long." She climbed the rope with her bag strap crossed over her chest so she wouldn't have to worry about it falling. "How you doing up there so far?"

"Doing fine. Almost there?"

"Just about. Why am I going faster?"

"Some help."

"Oh. Okay." She fell over into Horus' arms once she emerged. Horus removed the rope from his waist.

"Got all you needed?"

"Yep." Both were panting slightly. "Who's that?"

"Don't know."

He was a Nazi. Thirty from the look of it, with bleach blonde hair. He walked up to them and asked if they had a certain Medallion, for he had followed them.

"Depends on what is so 'certain' about it." Cal replied, looking into his deep blue eyes.

"That means what?"

"What does it do?"

"Don't know."

"Look like?"

"Round, green diamond or emerald-"

"Those are really rare," Horus said.

"Something green in the center."

"That all?"

"I believe so."

"What's your name?" Cal asked, hand in pocket.

"Why?"

"Just answer, please." She gripped the Medallion.

"Richard Meisenbach, You?"

"Cal Jones."

"Horus."

"No last name?"

Horus said nothing. With reluctance, Cal took the Medallion out of her pocket.

"This it?"

"My goodness. It does exist."

"Wait a minute."

"What?"

"What'll you give me for it?"

Richard thought for a minute.

"Your life?"

"My life, eh? Bring it on." Cal was strong and she knew it. She watched him take out two different weapons, kind of. Both guns, just different calibers. Cal took up her new whip.

"Is that all you have?"

"All I need."

The hills were silhouetted in the sunset. She removed her famed hat and tossed it to Horus. She cracked the whip several times to loosen it a bit. Five feet away, two cracks, Richard was unarmed. He then went after her, both hands in fists. Cal's gaurd was up, as it always was, and was able to turn it around and punched him square in the face. Richard tried again and Cal sent a well-placed kick to his torso. As he tried to get up to attack her again, she kneed him in the groin.

"Whoa," He groaned.

"Learned from Dad." She cracked the whip again after he was able to stand, startling Richard. He fell backward into the cave opening. Cal's speed saved him. He was then hauled up with Horus' help.

"You're a strong lady, I'll give you that."

"You've missed something else about her." Horus said. "She's also fast."

"Well, just keep the damn thing then. It's not worth it."

"Indy will be relieved that the damn Nazis didn't get it."

"Indy? As in Indiana-"

"Jones, the archaeologist. Yes. He's my Father."

On hearing that, Richard was silent. So the three went their separate ways, Cal smiling with the Medallion in one hand and her whip in the other. Then, she gave it a full, mighty crack. She coiled and slid her whip and the Medallion back into her bag. On the way back to Cairo, Cal and Horus talked about what she found in the cave.

"It was so bizarre down there. Apparently the prophet actually lived inside the cave."

"What kind of things did he see?"

"Anything and everything. How good, or bad, crops or cattle would be in the coming year or years, among other things." She added. "It has the ability to answer questions you may have without you saying them."

As they entered Cairo, Horus decided that now was the time to show Cal how he felt about her. He took her hand, their fingers intertwined. She looked at him questioningly. It didn't take Cal long to notice that they were getting closer and closer. Before she knew it, they were kissing. Her mind began to race, hoping things wouldn't get weird between them after this. Before Cal could stop herself, her hands had floated up, around Horus' neck. Horus put his arms around Cal's waist and held her close. Way to go Horus, old boy, he thought. Maybe now we'll be together.

Cal's favorite teacher once said "There's a difference between a wise man and a wise guy. It is up to you to decide which." She had never been too sure of which of the two Horus was, and probably never will. She has always figured that Horus had been both, as with every guy she got along with, which weren't very many because of a trust issue she has with them. It is because of this issue that she never gets along with her ex- boyfriends. Who is her favorite teacher? Use your imagination.


	2. temple of the forbidden eye

**California Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye**

California Jones was a bit of a special girl, special to her father, grandfather, and brother. But mostly her father. She never really knew her mother. No one would tell her what happened. The fact that she grew up around so many men, she figured, was why she was the way she was, a tomboy. For years and years, she had wanted to be an archaeologist, just like her dad and granddad (and like her dad, had an intense hatred for snakes). Indiana, her dad, was a famous archaeologist and as an adventurer he was known by everyone as Indy. Her brother Louisiana, or Lou, wanted to be a photographer for National Geographic Magazine, which he was now studying in college.

She had semi- long sandy brown hair, that she had in two braids. Because she is fifteen years old, she is of average height and many people underestimate her strength and intelligence. Not many know that she can fight with practically anything, preferably her whip.

She never felt close to many people. She needed to find the one she was closest. Indy went missing while on an excavation in the Lost Delta of India. As she sat on a rock, she thought about where Indy could be, hoping the sunset would give her a clue as to his whereabouts. She meditated for a while longer, her favorite hat, a fedora, beside her. When she opened her eyes, the sun was almost set, and she felt a cool breeze. She had to find Indy as soon as possible.

"Cal! Cal Jones!" Lou called to her. He was on break from school and often joined her on trips to see Indy. "Come on, we may have an idea of where Dad is."

"Where?"

"Remember that excavation he was on? A temple is there and he went in with a few others." He stopped there.

"So? What does that mean?"

"It said to have a statue that did many things. It made the old young and the poor wealthy."

"What does that have to do with Dad?"

"It is also said that if one looks into the eyes of the statue, trouble comes. As far as we can figure, one of the others that went in with him looked in the eyes of the statue. That's the reason they disappeared, according to the people I've spoken with, or something like that." Lou's fluency in Hindu, among other languages, was not like that of Cal and Indy.

"And?"

"And, what?"

"There's more in there. I know it."

At that point, an Indian official approached. In Hindu, he told Cal of what he knew of what happened. She answered in Hindu rather shakily.

"How many went in with him?"

"Just a couple. It's been a week since they went in."

"I wonder if he's aware that a week has passed." If he's trapped inside a temple, she thought, it's unlikely that he would have any idea a week had passed. It would just be a really long day or something. All Cal knew, was that she _had_ to find Indy before she lost it, or him. It was almost like he and Lou were all she had left in the world. Her grandfather, Henry (Henry was Indy's birth name, which he only used in the academic world, but he hated being called 'junior.'), wasn't around much. They saw each other on holidays, but that was pretty much it.

"Here's your whip. If you go in yourself, you're gonna need it."

"I do indeed. I'm sure you're never gonna let me go in alone."

Indy had a whip himself, and he taught her how to use it. Her motto for years has been "where there's a whip, there's a way." A close friend of hers bought it for her as a late birthday gift, and she tried to bring it with her wherever she went, except for school (though she has actually brought it a time or two). Whenever anybody who knew her saw her with her whip, they tended to back away slowly as they smile. Or they'd be dead terrified, depending on how they got on with her.

The two of them went back to where they were staying for the time, having arrived the day after getting the dreadful news about Indy, the previous day. They both know that Cal would not be getting much, if any, sleep. That is, until Indy was found.

Her sleep that night was fretful. Believing that sleep would help her think, she went to bed as soon as they'd arrived at the hotel. She kept having what had been a recurring dream since she first learned of what Indy did to its full extent. The dream was that Indy was held up somewhere, a captive. Lou and/or Henry would be with him on occasions, this not being one of them. She would try with all her might, strength, will, and everything to get him back and safe. But nothing would work. She could never help him. His captors would do something to kill him, losing the closest relative she had ever had. She was sweating every time she woke from this dream, more so this night than any other. Indy was all she could think about, and she gave up on sleeping that night.

There was a notebook he had, where he kept detailed descriptions of excavations and adventures and such that he took almost everywhere with him. He recorded these things for Cal when she was unable to accompany him on these kinds of trips. The only thing that she had of him at the moment (it was assumed that Indy had dropped it just outside the temple). Looking at that notebook, remembering the good times when she joined him on his adventures, as well as when she didn't, it gave her a certain hope, a hope that told her Indy was still alive. I know you're going to be okay, Dad, she thought, turning the little book in her hands. Out of the corner of her eye, her whip seemed to glow a greenish color. That gave her more hope for some reason. She picked up her whip and put on her hat, and stood. Though her hair wasn't in the usual hat style (she had taken out her braids earlier that day) she felt like she was ready to take on anything or anyone.

She left her bedside and walked over to the window and sat down on the ledge, looking out on the city. It was completely dark, save a few low lights, used to 'protect' kids from monsters. She could just barely make out little children, sleeping peacefully in their beds. She vaguely heard a child call out from somewhere. The child's father came in to console her. She had been having a nightmare. Cal could have sworn that the figures looked like her and Indy long ago, when she was a child. Was it her imagination? It had to have been. Her determination to find Indy was now higher than it had ever been since they'd arrived. Sitting on the ledge of their room, she slowly fell asleep.

Cal was in the temple, alone and far from Indy. She was not in there to find him that time. She was doing work for the class she was teaching, needing to find various objects to lecture on: teach the meaning of, tell it's history, and such. Soon, a few others joined her, knowing none of them. They entered what looked like a foyer. Then everything went dark.

She woke to the sun rising, shining in the room. Her hat had fallen over her eyes slightly, like what she did when she wanted to get some shut-eye on long digs. She would take off her glasses and pull her hat over her eyes, with her glasses held in her right fist. She took off her hat and put her glasses on. One look at Lou's bed told her he hadn't gotten that much sleep, either. They were going that morning to the temple to search. The only information she had about the temple was from what people had told her. Until she found Indy, that didn't matter that much to her.

Back when the temple was first built, thousands of years ago, it was immense in size. No one really knew how long it had taken to build, as no written scriptures detailing its building had ever been found. Historians doubted that writings even existed. Some called it the Stonehenge of India, as the temple's origins were just as mysterious as the site in England (someday, Cal wanted to lead an excavation up there). Nobody ever found out what happened to the people who disappeared. As the years passed, beatings by the weather and quite possibly bombs from the world wars caused it to diminish greatly. Thankfully, as far as anyone knew, the temple itself had been pretty much abandoned for about a hundred or so years. As a result, they figured that no one was in it at the time of the wars, though some of the local villagers saw people going in, in possible hopes of not getting killed during the bombardment. They were rarely, if ever, seen again. It was still a speculation as to what the temple was actually used for when it was built in ancient times. Quite possibly it housed a religion that died out long ago. No one knew.

As they approached the temple, it gave all of them, particularly Cal, a sense of foreboding tension. For Cal, relief was mixed in slightly because it meant she was a bit closer to finding out what happened to Indy. Near the bottom of the stairs that led to the door way stood a young man. He appeared to be slightly taller than Cal. His skin was a dark tan, and very clear. He wore a small goatee, and his hair was short and wavy. Had Cal not been so intent of finding Indy, she would have found in rather attractive. The minute he saw Cal, he raised his eyebrow. She walked up to him calmly and, without looking at him, said in Hindi,

"What are you staring at? Haven't you seen a woman in pants before?"

This caught him off-guard slightly, because it was true. He was used to every woman he came across wearing a dress of some type, and Cal was the type who would never be caught dead in a dress. He had also never met a woman who was a feisty as this one. What was she doing here?

"No, I haven't." He replied in Hindi. "What exactly are you doing here?"

"I'm trying to find my father, Indiana Jones, the archaeologist. He went into that temple last week and nobody has seen him since."

"I hope you aren't expecting to go in there yourself."

"Who the hell says I can't?" She noticed that he was eyeing her whip, apprehensively.

"With just that?" He said pointing at it. "What do you plan to do if people come at you with swords or guns?"

"You'd be surprised."

"How would you go about fighting those kinds of weapons?"

"I have the feeling you'll be seeing soon enough. Thank God Dad taught me how to use it."

He was silent after she said that.

"Name's Cal."

"Bali Anoop." So that explains the personality, Cal thought to herself with a chuckle. His name meant "mighty warrior" for Bali and "incomparable" for Anoop. Soon enough, she had the feeling, that he wouldn't be feeling so high and mighty. "So, what does 'Cal' mean?"

"Not a damn thing. It's shortened, actually, from 'California'. It's a state in America."

"Allah have mercy." Bali was amused at the explanation of Cal's name.

She gave him a slight eye roll. This guy was definitely with a lot of other men she came in contact in that she didn't trust him even if he was rather attractive. Cal turned to the stairs that led to the temple and looked up to the doorway. It was dark and eerie, and the stones on the inside were covered in a writing she was not familiar with. They had to wait for a guide for some reason, and she was getting inpatient. The guide, she figured, was to decipher the writing on the wall, since she didn't know it.

"Father."

Cal turned and saw Bali was now accompanied by another man. The two men looked alike as they whispered to each other. The man pointed to Cal and raised his eyebrow. Bali nodded and they strode over to her. He was Bali's father and would be guiding them. If anyone tried to attack her, he'd keep her safe. She scoffed and headed up the stairs. He was introduced as Avni, 'my stone.' As she neared the entrance, she placed her hand on her whip, on her gaurd. She was brave enough to go in on her own, and could use deduction to figure out where to go. She didn't need a guide or a protector. She could deal with snakes, too, no matter how much she hated them. She felt a cool wind on the back of her neck and heard voices behind her. Lou approached her and asked if she knew where she was going.

"No. I could easily figure it out myself. I don't need a freaking guide."

"He's one of only a few people who can read these." He said, pointing to the walls.

"I don't care. I don't think these will tell us where he is or how to get there. No point in it. I doubt he wants to save Dad, at least like I do."

"There aren't very many people who want to save Dad like you do. I know you're a free spirit, but sometimes, you just need help. What if there are snakes?"

"I'll handle them. Dad comes before me. If I need help, I'll ask for it. And right now, I don't. What I do need, however, is support from my family."

"And you have it, Cal. I just want you to be careful."

"I get my cautiousness from Dad, Lou."

"That's my point."

Cal sighed as she walked down a passage. She removed a light from her bag and shined it around the passage. She paused in front of one of the walls that had the mysterious symbols. She heard Lou say something to Bali, but couldn't make out what it was. She decided to wait for them, and study the marks. She didn't know what she was looking for, apart from something that would tell her where Indy was.

"Looking for something?" Avni asked her.

"No. None that I can figure out at least. It's not like these walls will tell me where he his." She reached up and touched one of the symbols, shaped liked the human eye. She scoffed. "What letter is that?"

"The letter 'I'."

"Is it really?"she studied the symbols. That was the only one that looked simple enough to be it. She looked a little more and saw one that had two strokes, thick at the top but not the bottom, and a dot by the last one. She pointed to it. "'W'?"

Avni nodded and watched her. Some were easy enough, as they vaguely resembled the letters she was used to. Putting together the letters she figured out, Cal knew that what she was reading wouldn't be helpful to them. She knew her dad better than these two, almost better than her own brother. She could find by reading the signs. If there was a trap that was now out for all to see, Cal knew Indy would be the one to foil it. Indy was quick to figure things out. That's why he was so well known as a historian. He had eagle eyes when it came to traps, he could spot them the second he walked into the room, depending on how well they were hidden.

Cal thought back to when she was ten, and Indy had told her about the Thuggee cult. They worshiped Kali, the dark Hindu goddess, and did so under ground. They were a murderous cult, pledging their devotion her with human sacrifices. There was a legend as well, surrounding five sacred sankara stones. When placed together, the diamonds inside them glow. She wasn't sure about if the legend was true or not, as no traces of the stones have been found, not even written work. The cult was said to be wiped out toward the end of the 1800's.

The more Cal looked around, and saw the snake sculptures like the ones on the outside of the temple, the more she thought of the Thuggees. She placed her hand on her whip as she hung onto her light. This was almost exactly the kind of place that they would have worshiped. There were some oil lamps hanging around, all of which were really dim. The lamps were almost out of oil. Bali paused to look at one of the lamps.

"There is still hope that he's alive." He smelled it, blew out the light and touched the oil. "It's still clean. It shan't be too old."

"Then let's get a move on." Cal walked down the passage and stepped into a large room. A snake statue stood in the middle of it. After a slight examination of it, Cal turned to another passage. It was like the corner of a 'v'.

Every so often, on the ground, there was a stone with a diamond shape and an eye in the middle of it. She looked up at the ceiling. There were stones with the same markings just above the ones on the floor. They were detached from the rest.

"Don't step on the diamonds."

"Why?" Bali stepped up next to her. Cal pointed up.

"It's a trap." Looking up further, she saw a few that had been set off. A piece of bamboo stuck between the floor and ceiling, keeping it from coming down. As for the bamboo, it was to build a structure for workers underground, because of how strong it is. Indy had definitely been here.

"There are a few more set off up ahead."

"This is the trail he took."

"Who?"

"My father. He can see these things well, and is a quick thinker. He used the strength of the bamboo to keep the trap from coming down. He left a trail for us. Whether it was interned or not, I highly doubt, but it's a trail. He went this way." Without another word, she trotted to the end and looked about. It was another room, with more traps. Some of them were set off as well, with the bamboo holding them.

"Why not just let them fall? Why use the equipment to hold it up?"

"In the passages, it's too small. In here, it's probably a concern about the structural integrity. This place was built long ago and suffered damaging during wars. If one trap is set off, it's possible the entire thing will collapse, possibly destroying all artifacts and life that it holds. He wanted to play it safe."

"And the ones that don't have the bamboo?"

"Set off before. They most likely didn't know about the traps. Or were just too greedy to notice them, if not just unobservant. I don't see any blood, so maybe they went down slow enough to catch and escape from."

"We can only hope. I'd hate to come across any spirits, especially evil ones. And what did you mean by 'too greedy?'"

"Something Lou heard about. The poor became rich, the old became young, things like that. If you were in a bad situation, or just wanted something, this place could help. I don't know how. Have you heard any of that?"

"I've heard about the health. That's it. How do you know so much about traps?"

"Experience. I've gone on a few of these with my dad in all the years of being his daughter. I was three when he first told me about the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant. As well as several others. It was then that I knew I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my dad and granddad. I've been like this ever since." Cal was surprised at how easy it was to talk to Bali. Now that he was aware that she knew what she was doing, he was being nicer to her. Almost every time he fell behind her, he looked at her butt.

Following the trail of set off traps, Cal stepped into a room that held an array of equipment. It was about as big as her living room, which was rather large. This was where the trail stopped. Indy left no other clues as to where he was now. Cal immediately walked over to the equipment and looked through it, unsure of what she was looking for. She took off her hat and surveyed everything. She had found nothing of Indy's personal effects. He must have had his bag, whip and hat with him. She spotted a few guns in the pile, none of which she recognized as Indy's. She scoffed. There wasn't going to be much those guns could do in a place like that. Lord knows what was there. Indy was the type that knew how to defeat those that you couldn't see. Be it a trap or something supernatural.

Her heart pounded as she looked around the room. Bali placed his hand on her shoulder. He could tell she was worried about Indy, and didn't blame her. She looked at him and managed a weak smile. Her eyes dropped, and she spotted a crack in the floor. Wind was blowing up to them, she could feel it. Kneeling down, she touched the crack, and the breeze was stronger. The sent of cold, wet stone drifted to her nose. She leaned down and listened to the crack. She heard nothing, but stood up and put her hat back on.

"There's space down there. There is a room underneath us."

"But how? This is the lowest level of the temple."

"Maybe a secret room, for protection. Hidden from marauders, bombs, anything that could do damage. This place was not a typical temple. It was sacred and others, maybe Christians, tried to get the followers to convert to their way of life." She looked at Bali again. "Do you know how the temple got the name, 'temple of the forbidden eye?'"

"No. Why?"

"Maybe that's it. Maybe, the group Dad was with, one of them looked into the eye."

"A statue dooming someone, even a whole group. How is that possible? It's an inanimate object."

"That's what people say about the Ark and the Grail. It's an object with no supernatural powers. And yet, it is said to have those powers. The Grail can save any who drink from it. The Ark carried the Ten Commandments." She raised her hands in front of her, as though she were carrying something to emphasize her point. "The legend says that if one looks into the eyes of the statue or idol or whatever it happens to be, something will happen. That might be why some of the people that entered the temple never came back. They looked into the eyes. I know it sounds crazy, but with wind coming from that crack and this legend, it's all we have. In travels with my dad, you can't always depend on science to look at something that you can't explain. The legend is all we have to follow, and as implausible is it might sound, it's our best bet for now. Even if you guys don't believe me, I'm going. Are you with me?"

Lou shook his head at his sister. She was the most stubborn person he knew, which as far as he knew, came from Indy. He wasn't going to let her go rescue their father alone, no matter what she said.

They were all going and Cal smiled. She looked around for a way to get down to that room, expecting to see a lever to open a doorway or something that led down there. But, instead, she saw stairs. She raised an eyebrow.

"Could it really be that simple?" slowly dragging her feet, she made her way to the staircase. There didn't seem to be any traps to get to it. She placed her hand on the wall when she got to the stairs. She examined the entryway and found no evidence of traps. It was dark at the bottom. She turned to her companions and shrugged. Slowly, they made their way over, just in case they came across a trap that Cal missed. Her hand was on the handle of her whip as she walked down the stairs, with her light in her other hand. After several fairly tense minutes, they made it to the bottom. The lights they had illuminated the room well. She looked at Bali, then her brother. She took a deep breath and stepped forward. It was more like a hallway that was as big as a house. The limestone that made up the walls, was covered moss and cobwebs. Lou was the fist to speak.

"How long could this have taken to build?"

"A long time. Did nobody know about this?"

"It's highly possible." Bali said. He stepped over to one of the walls. It had a picture on it. "Cal, come look at this."

"Wow. It looks like the god Shiva." Her hand brushed along the eyes. They were very large and had no traces of pupils or irises. The carving looked brand new. The eyes couldn't have rubbed clean, not when the rest of it was so intricately detailed. She cleared off a few spider webs, exposing it completely. That was the only sign of age the carvings had. They walked a little longer and eventually came to the end of the tunnel. It was a giant carving of the same figure that Bali had shown Cal. The writing on the wall said Mara. That was who the figure was.

There were three doors, knowledge, riches, and youth as written at the top of each doorway. There were mirrors that showed what was in each room. The left showed an eye to the future. The right showed a chalice filling from an enchanted spring. The middle was a room of jewels, ready to be taken. All the guest had to do was clear their mind, so Mara could see into it and determine what they really want. They could all hear a low voice and see a mesmerizing light.

"Close your eyes!" Cal hollered to them. The hand that didn't have her whip flew to her eyes. She hoped the others were doing the same thing. Then, she heard low laughter. Someone had looked into the eyes of the statue. It felt like several minutes had passed before everything quieted down. A few seconds later, Cal put her hand down. They were all down on the ground and shaking, but none more than Avni.

"Who looked?"

"I did. I'm sorry. You were right miss Jones. I couldn't help it."

She shuddered. She wondered how they were going to get out of this. She told him not to worry, what's done is done. And call her Cal.

The gigantic carving had opened, exposing a vast hallway, much like the one they just came from. It was a lot darker now, so they shined their lights around. As they entered the hall, it lit up slightly and the door behind them closed with a loud rumble. Avni was still shaking as he walked beside Cal. He wasn't sure if she was angry at him for looking into the eyes of Mara. If she was, she was good at not showing it.

She quickened her pace slightly. Something wasn't sitting well with her about this place and she wanted to get to wherever Indy was as quickly as possible. She almost knew where they were.

The Tunnel of Torment. It went dark and lightning appeared to strike everywhere. The temple was decaying, looking like it was about to crumble at any second. They all ran toward the end of the way. Almost to the end of it, a set of doors opened and showed them an eerie green light. It was the Gates of Doom. Bali reached for Cal's hand as the doors started to close again, but slower. Much too slow. She saw her dad trying his hardest to close the doors. For a moment, the doors closed, stopping the lightning. Cal pulled him to the side with her as she passed him. In complete darkness, they fell and hit the ground hard. There was a set of stairs in front of them and as they hit the ground, they rolled down them.

Cal jumped up and hugged Indy, happy he was alive. In the light of their flashlights, Indy could see a few cuts on Cal's face as well as the makings of a few bruises. Indy had quite a few himself, as did Lou and the other two. How were they going to get out of this?

"Dr. Jones." Avni shook Indy's hand. "So glad to see you're alive. Your daughter has done a good job of finding you."

"She always has been able to find things."

"She's stubborn, too." Lou muttered.

They were surrounded by lava and fireballs. Debris was falling, and threatening to land on them. In the middle of the cavern, was a decaying skull of Mara. There were several pathways, all of which, Cal knew, led to more danger. In front of them, is a suspension bridge, slung over a precipice of molten lava. Midway, was the spirit of Mara, surrounded by glowing skulls, unmistakably human, most likely from the others that never returned. Indy headed toward it and then turned sharply down a side passage just as the spirit shot a beam at them, causing more of the ceiling to fall into the lava.

They were now surrounded by mummies. As the group went in, the mummies crowded around them. The mummies are the remains of past explorers who have looked into the eyes of Mara as well as past temple goers. The group ran past them and almost got blown into the crypts by a powerful wind. They end up at the bridge again and take another turn, sparing them from imminent doom.

They entered a dark chamber, lit only by the lights they have. There was a disturbing crunch under their feet. Bali whimpered slightly with every step he took. There were bugs everywhere, on every inch of the walls as well as underfoot, including scorpions, beetles, tarantulas, and even large roaches and everything in between. They had been trapped down there for so long, that they scurried away from the light and tried to climb on the group so they could get out as well. As they get to the exit, bugs start dropping onto them.

Everything in the next room seemed to be moving. Cal dreaded what she might find in there, almost knowing what would be there. Hisses surround them as they enter the chamber of Mara's guardians, snakes. Why did it have to be snakes? A tail was in front of them and the soon got to the head, of a 100-foot long king cobra. It was poised, ready to strike and kill those who try to pass. Within a split second, the cobra struck and they were able to dodge it. It hissed angrily as they hightailed it out of there. And the only way out was across that bridge. They ran as fast as they could until they reach the next room.

There were rats all around. As they ran, they could feel the rats' claws on them, trying to get out. Avni tripped and Cal paused to help him up. The rats tried to climb on the two of them. They ran, having to go underneath a rat-filled branch. Soon, they were out.

Indy stopped abruptly as the reached the next corridor. Skeleton warriors were painted on the wall at varying heights. They were covered with moss and vines. Bali figured there was nothing to fear but Cal held her arm out. Her light shone on the floor. There were trips everywhere, and if they hit one of them, they better be faster then the dart that would shoot out from any hole on the wall, the eyes and nose. There was no place for them to step. They were going to have to run across, one after the other. Starting with Indy, Call fallowed a few feet behind, then Lou, then Bali, and finally Avni. Darts shot at them from all heights as everyone dodged them. The passage wasn't long and they got to the end quickly. They were almost out. Or so they thought.

As they turned to the last corridor, they all heard a dreadful sound. Something was rolling toward them and it was gaining speed. A round boulder rolled toward them at an alarming rate. What were they going to do? Swears were spouted from all five of them as they backed away. Bali and Cal spotted a crack in the floor and ran toward it. The others followed and they ducked, as the boulder hit where they were and the ground gave way. They rolled for a few moments and stopped suddenly. There was no debris where they lay. It was a trap door, for anyone who could find it.

Light poured in from a shaft. There was a crack in the wall. It was a doorway in the stone walls. Indy pushed it open and they were in the corridor which led them to the deck that held the equipment, where the whole adventure started.

Fresh air wafted to Cal's nose. It had been hours since they first went in, and after all the time spent in the presence of death, the air was clear. The five of them walked out the door and stood at the top of the stairs. The sun was on its way down and Indy pulled his two children close to him and Avni did the same with Bali. They were safe and they walked down the stairs, ready to head home.

"Dad," Cal looked up at Indy as they walked. "What happened to the others you were with?"

"The first thing they tried was the bridge. One person fell into the lava and the other two got hit by the beams from the Mara spirt."

Cal nodded, then looked back at the old temple. It looked the same as when they first got there. She studied the writing over the door way.

"Beware of the eyes of Mara." Avni stood next to her, saying the translation. "It won't be long before you learn the rest of the symbols."

Indy chuckled. Cal was still looking at the temple as the others continued on. Someone grabbed her hand. It was Bali.

"Come. You need to rest and eat. I'm sure my father will be happy to have you three."

She nodded and followed, still holding Bali's hand. She was almost sad about leaving the temple. The lost souls in there as well the artifacts. She vaguely wanted to return sometime, and see if there are really any artifacts in there, or just anything more than the booby traps. But first, she'd be with her dad, get to know Bali, learn the Mara-glyphics, and share the story with her friends when she got home.


End file.
